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Democrats Make $28 Million TV Buy

By Jeff Zeleny July 22, 2010 3:36 pmJuly 22, 2010 3:36 pm

The Democrats’ strategy to preserve their House majority became clearer Thursday as the party made a $28 million investment in television advertising for the final weeks of the fall campaign, a plan that is designed to build a firewall to protect freshmen and longtime incumbents.

GRAPHIC

The 40 districts that Democrats selected, which can be added to or subtracted from, were based on polling, candidate fund-raising and the strength of Republican opposition.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee reserved television time in 40 districts across the country, including those of Representatives John M. Spratt Jr. of South Carolina, chairman of the Budget Committee, and Ike Skelton of Missouri, chairman of the Armed Services Committee. The committee also reserved time to help Representative Chet Edwards of Texas, who is seeking his 11th term in November and is among the party’s most vulnerable members.

The advertising decisions, which were confirmed by party strategists and local television stations, help define more precisely the battlefield on which the two parties will vie for control of Congress over the next four months as Republicans work to reclaim the majority. Democrats are playing defense in districts in every corner of the country, hoping to use their fund-raising advantages to preserve control. The $28 million in advertising commitments represents the bulk of the $34 million in cash that the Democratic campaign committee has on hand.

“I feel very confident about the ability of my members, who are the greatest salespersons in America, to go into their districts and make the case for what we did,” Speaker Nancy Pelosi told reporters Thursday, adding that the party’s accomplishments in Congress would ultimately prove to be winning issues in November.

Many of the 40 districts are represented by Democrats who have long been viewed as ripe for a Republican takeover, but others provide the first sign that the ranks of vulnerable Democrats may be deeper than previously acknowledged. The collection of districts is hardly set in stone, with Democrats able to add or subtract as the campaign goes along.

The Democratic House campaign committee has a $17 million advantage over its Republican counterpart, so Democrats can afford to invest in far more districts. And the list that emerged on Thursday was being carefully studied by Republicans for any head-fakes – districts where Democrats were trying to entice Republicans into spending their limited resources.

The 40 districts that Democrats selected, based on polling, candidate fund-raising and the strength of Republican opposition, include five seats in Ohio, four in Pennsylvania, three in Arizona and in Virginia, and two each in Florida, Illinois, Indiana, New York and Texas.

Several of the decisions signal new signs of worry from Democratic Party leaders, including Representatives Stephanie Herseth Sandlin of South Dakota, Betty Sutton of Ohio, Allen Boyd of Florida, Joe Donnelly of Indiana, Gerry E. Connolly of Virginia and Jerry McNerney of California.

“The D.C.C.C. is going to aggressively use every tool – media, voter contact programs, and research – to retain the House,” said Jennifer Crider, a spokeswoman for the committee. “Voters will have a clear choice this November.”

The television time was reserved by the independent expenditure arm of the Democratic committee. Their Republican counterpart intends to make its first television advertising decisions in August.

“If you want to get an idea of what the Democrats’ strategy is this fall, just follow the money,” said Ken Spain, a spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee. “The political environment has become so toxic that Democrats in Washington are gearing up to spend millions of dollars to defend what were once perceived as some of the most entrenched incumbents in Congress.”

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